


Airborne

by hopeful_sunshine



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Cancer, Leukamia, Multi, Percy has a lung disease, Sad Ending, Sick Fic, Terminal Illnesses, Young Nico, hospital au, minor cheating, so does Piper, surgeries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 09:36:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14590149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopeful_sunshine/pseuds/hopeful_sunshine
Summary: Piper Mclean has been sick for her whole life. Diagnosed at age 12 with a rare lung condition, she knows it's only a matter of time before she is given the final diagnosis.After being given one year to live, Piper is taken to Camp Jupiter- a camp for other teenagers like her. Terminal. There, she meets an unlikely gang of friends:Percy, the boy who won't let his lung disease get in the way of a good time.Annabeth, the girl whose brain is slowly succumbing to deadly tumours (but that doesn't stop her from lecturing you over dinner)Nico, the kid whose genetic condition stole his sister from himLeo, the boy who isn't afraid to make jokes about his own impending deathHazel, the sweet, shy girl who she shares a room withFrank, the boy who tries to protect his friends no matter whatReyna, the stubborn girl who wants to live a normal lifeCalypso, the girl who isn't afraid to dieand Jason. Sweet, handsome, unreachable Jason.





	Airborne

I couldn’t- wouldn’t- register the doctor’s words. “W-what?” I managed to get out. Dr Underwood smiled sadly. “Piper, your lungs are beginning to shut down. It’s…the first of the last, if you get my meaning.”

I sat in silence, feeling my lungs struggling for air. That had become familiar, at least.

“How long do I have?” He winced a little- I knew how much he hated giving his patients bad news. “A year at most, and that’s only if you don’t exercise or put regular strain on your body,” he said. I opened my mouth but he held up a finger. “I’m sorry to say it will be impossible for you to live at home. Your dad’s away a lot, and frankly you need specific care that he can’t give you.”

“But…where will I live?” My voice squeaked a little as I imagined spending my last months in a stark white hospital ward. Dr Underwood seemed to know what I was thinking.

“You couldn’t live in a hospital as you will need attentive care, and we are so busy here already, so I found this place that specializes in cases like yours…a sort of ‘home’ for sick kids and teens. It’s called Camp Jupiter, and I know the head doctor there, Dr Brunner.”

I asked if I could call my dad, tell him what was going on, and Dr Underwood lent me his mobile. I dialed the number and waited. Dad picked up on the third ring.

“Hello?”  
“Dad, it’s me.”  
“Pipes? I thought you were at the hospital.”  
“I am.”  
“Is something wrong? You okay?”  
“Um, Dr Underwood wants to talk to you. Hang on.”

I passed the phone to the doctor and leaned back in my chair, listening to one side of the conversation. “Yes, a sort of hospice…no, the hospital pays for all expenses…tomorrow…okay.” Dr Underwood gave me the phone and I pressed it to my ear.

“It’s me again Dad.”  
“Pipes…are you okay with all this?” He actually sounded concerned. I shrugged, then realized he couldn’t see me.  
“I guess. At least there’ll be people my age, right?”  
“Well…listen, honey, I need to go. They need me onset. Love you, talk tonight, okay?”

“Bye, Dad,” I said, but he had already hung up. I put the phone on Doc’s desk and sighed. Dr Underwood raised an eyebrow. “Had to go, did he?” I bit my lip, tasting blood. “Yeah.”

The next day, I was picked up by a van and driven to Camp Jupiter. Outside, a middle-aged man and a teenage girl were waiting on the lawn.

“It’s Piper, right?” asked the girl when I climbed out the van door. I nodded, trying to catch my breath. Even small things like getting out of a car left me struggling to breath for at least a minute afterward.

She grabbed my suitcase and nodded back at me. “I’m Annabeth.” The man took my smaller bag (full of medication) and introduced himself as Dr Chiron Brunner. Annabeth opened the front door and led me to a large bedroom on the second floor. The stairs were a challenge, but I caught my breath after a few moments. 

Annabeth looked concerned. “Maybe we should give you a room on the first floor,” she said. I shook my head. “I’m fine. Honestly.”

“You’ll be sharing a room with me and Hazel. I sleep here,” she indicated a messy bed with a stack of books on the side-table. “Hazel sleeps here, and this is your bed,” she finished, gesturing at the two beds in the corner. 

I nodded again (I seemed to be doing a lot of nodding) and she stowed my luggage under my bed before beckoning me to come and meet the others. 

“How many patients are there?” I asked, trying and failing to keep up with Annabeth’s brisk pace. She saw this and slowed, waiting for me to catch up.

“About six, I think, not counting us. Leo and Frank are in the second bedroom, Jason and Percy next door to us. Nico is down the hall, and Reyna’s on the first floor. She used to be Bianca’s roommate, but…” “What happened to Bianca?” I asked curiously as we went out the front door again.

Annabeth grimaced. “Her funeral was yesterday.” As we approached a group of teens lounging on the back lawn, she paused. “Just…don’t mention Bianca. She was Nico’s sister. He’s still a bit touchy.”

As soon as they saw us, the group waved us over. “Hello, ladies!” cried a small, impish Latino boy with curly black hair. Annabeth rolled her eyes. “This is Leo. Don’t mind him- he’s just three-quarters crazy.”

She cleared her throat. “Guys, this is Piper. She’s the newest resident of Camp We’re-going-to-die.” A small girl with chocolate-brown skin and beautiful golden eyes introduced herself as Hazel. The Chinese boy was Frank, and the guy with sparkling green eyes and a cannula running out of his nose and into an oxygen tank was Percy.

The tall blonde was Jason, and the quiet girl sitting by his side was Reyna, which meant that the smaller, dark-haired boy was Nico.

“Hi.” I waved, cringing inwardly at my social awkwardness. Hazel patted the grass in front of her. “Sit down. You’ve got such pretty hair- can I braid it?”

I sat down and she began combing out my hair with her fingers. Meanwhile, the others engaged me in conversation. “So, what’s your ticket?” asked Percy. “Huh?” I replied intelligently. Leo shifted closer. “Y’know. Your ticket to this camp of sick kiddos,” he explained.

“Oh. Lung condition,” I replied. Percy nodded knowingly. “Ditto,” he said, pointing at his oxygen tank. “I’ve got Coronary Artery Disease,” said Leo. Reyna laughed. “That’s just his way of saying his heart sucks at life.”

“Leukemia,” said Hazel, and only then did I notice the woolen beanie concealing her hair, or lack-thereof. Frank had holes in a lot of his organs, but he was on the donor list.

Turns out Annabeth had a brain tumor. “Not cancer,” she said. “Everyone thinks it’s the same thing, but it’s not. I have a shaved head from the most recent operation, not chemo.”

“My organs don’t work so great, and Jason’s brain forgets to send messages to the rest of his body, telling it to do stuff, so sometimes he forgets to breath,” said Reyna. Jason pouted. “I wanted to introduce my disease!” he complained, and we all laughed.

“I have a rare genetic condition. I probably won’t make it past thirteen,” said Nico. The laughter stopped as quickly as it had started. There was a sudden silence as everyone tried to think of something to say, broken only by Dr Brunner (who later insisted I call him Chiron) calling us in for lunch.

“So, Piper, what kind of stuff do you like?” asked Jason at the dinner table that evening. “It’s kind of nerdy, but I like this game called Mythomagic,” I confessed. Nico perked up.

“Me too! Which cards do you have? Isn’t the new version cool? Do you-” Annabeth cut him off my shoving a slice of pizza in his mouth.

“Woah there, nerd-boy, hold your horses. Pipes just got here, and already you’re in danger of scaring her away!” said the older girl, her head now covered by a red bandanna. 

Percy leant over. “Don’t get in Annabeth’s bad books,” he advised. “She’s dangerous when provoked.” Annabeth harrumphed and stood, and Leo whistled. “She’s going in for the kill,” he noted as Annabeth stalked over to Percy. 

Chiron looked a little worried. “Guys…” he said, but made no move to stop her. Annabeth raised a hand, and I was sure she was going to hit Percy, but at the last minute she dropped her hand.

“There,” said Percy triumphantly. “I’m too charming.” Annabeth made as if to walk back to her seat, but when he turned his attention back to the pizza she pounced, tickling his sides.

“Ah! Anna, no!” he cried, squirming away. She persisted, but stopped when he began coughing, an awful hacking cough that shook his whole body. 

Chiron stood. “I think that’s enough for one night,” said the doctor, but not unkindly. Annabeth sat back down next to Frank and Percy finished coughing to resume inhaling his pizza, winking at me from across the table.

Told you I’m too charming, he mouthed.

After two days at Camp Jupiter, I had almost settled in. We didn’t have a specific wakeup time, so breakfast was undecided, but after breakfast our day was scheduled.

Twice a week, on Wednesday and Friday, were visits to the hospital for check-ups. Family were allowed most days, so long as it was after lunchtime, and we watched a movie most nights.

Percy was a diehard thriller fan, whereas Hazel and (surprise, surprise) Frank both liked cheesy romance. Annabeth always voted for intelligent sci-fi films, Jason said he didn’t mind and both Leo and Nico agreed that action films were the way to go. Reyna and I always tried to put on Harry Potter, despite protestations from the others.

That Saturday, Frank and Reyna were at the hospital, so the rest of us filed out on to the front lawn for a picnic. Percy spread a tablecloth on the grass, Hazel (who was excellent in the kitchen) made sandwiches, and Nico brought out Game of Life.

“Ooh, actress,” squealed Leo in a falsetto voice, showing us his Career Card. By the end of the game, I had seven kids, a husband that I named Jeremiah and a mansion by the beach.   
“You’ve been very…productive,” teased Jason, looking down at his set of twins. He had named his little pink wife figurine ‘Piper’, which had made me blush and Hazel wiggle her eyebrows suggestively.

Annabeth had long since gone inside, complaining that the sun was giving her a headache (though I noticed that Percy followed soon after). After a little while, Leo got bored and went in with Hazel, who dragged him into the kitchen and proclaimed that she was going to teach him how to cook.

That left me, Jason and Nico lying side-by-side on the grass. A tiny, selfish part of me wished that it was just me and Jason, but at the same time I was glad that Nico was there.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like, if you weren’t sick? If you were going to live past college, and have a husband and seven kids?” asked Nico suddenly.

“Well…no. This is just who I am now,” I replied, unsure where this was leading. Jason stood up. “I…I’ll be inside,” he said, heading quickly over to the door.

I looked sideways at Nico, who was gazing up at the sky. “You remind me of my sister,” he said after a moment. I stayed quiet, understanding that he needed to talk.

“You have the same laugh and the same look,” he continued. “But I don’t look anything like…” “I mean the way you look at me.”

I remembered tucking his hair behind his ear and the solemn look he gave me after.

“She used to look at me like that.” Then he was quiet again, and I sensed that he was done sharing.

About twenty minutes later, I awoke with a start, disoriented. I sat up slowly (months of breathlessness had taught me to take it slow) and realized that I had fallen asleep on the lawn.

Nico lay next to me, and I prodded him with a finger. “Hey, wake up, Neeks,” I said, but he didn’t move. I took a closer look and realized with a panic that his breathing was fast and shallow and his forehead flushed.

“Nico? HELP!” I called, but no one came to the door. I knew I couldn’t leave him there so I stood up and, on a sudden impulse, hoisted him up and began to carry/drag him across the grass. 

I puffed my way up the pathway, barely breathing, and would have collapsed had it not been for the garden bench. 

For a twelve-year-old, he was awfully heavy, and I struggled to get his limp body over the doorstep. Once inside, I called out again and soon enough Leo, Hazel and Jason came running.

When they saw me struggling to hold Nico upright, Hazel ran to get Chiron and the two boys laid Nico on the couch.

I sank down to the floor, gasping for air, and Jason crouched next to me. “You okay there, Pipes?” he asked quietly. I nodded, waving a hand to indicate that I was fine (I was not), and Leo shook his head.

“Pipes, if it’s one thing we’ve all learned from being here is that none of us are really okay. I can see that you’re not okay. Sometimes it’s fine to be honest.”

They took Nico to the hospital, and the rest of us waited anxiously by the phone. Chiron was to call when they found out what was wrong.

I sat huddled next to Annabeth and Jason, while Leo and the others paced around the kitchen. Percy was nowhere to be seen. 

When I asked Annabeth, she told me that he had gone to the hospital with Nico and Chiron.

She sniffed. “You know, it’s kind of ironic. Percy used to be on the swim team at our old school. He was the best in our year. And now he’s drowning in his own lungs.”

I hugged her, all the while wondering something that had been bothering me for a while. Finally, I asked her, “Are you guys dating?”

She nodded, wiping at her eyes. “For a year now.” I frowned. “And, the others…?” I asked.

“Hazel and Frank have been dating for a month. Nico, Jason, Leo and Reyna are single.” “Single-pringles!” Leo added. “Doesn’t it bother you?” I asked. “Doesn’t what bother me?”

“That one of you is going to die eventually. That both of you are going to die eventually.” Annabeth shrugged. “It’s better than dating someone who isn’t going to die, leaving them behind when you die. At least this way neither of us will be left behind for very long.”

The phone rang, a harsh, trilling tone that took our minds off the subject and made everyone lean closer as Frank answered the phone.

After a few minutes of hurried conversation, he hung up and turned back to the rest of us. “He’s going to be alright,” said Frank.

Everyone sighed in relief. Though we all knew it was going to happen, sooner or later, I don’t think anyone could imagine losing Nico.

Suddenly, Reyna raced to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. I looked in askance at Annabeth, who sighed.

“Sometimes she can’t control her stomach, but she never wants help. I tried to go in once, to hold her hair or at least give some comfort, and she locked the door. I think she’s ashamed,” said Annabeth.

We all heard the sounds of retching from the bathroom, but no one tried to go in. We let her be, a small shred of privacy that no one else here got.

Annabeth stood up. “C’mon, Pipes, I want to show you something.”

In the living room, she reached up and grabbed a bright red photo album from the shelf. Flipping through the pages, she stopped at one group photo. 

Everyone in it was wearing some form of Christmas-themed decoration. Annabeth pointed to the girl in the corner, a redhead who wore a knitted reindeer sweater and was grinning and making a peace sign at the camera.

“That’s Rachel,” she said, tapping the photo. “What happened to her?” I wanted to know. “She had a bad heart. This photo was taken last Christmas, and she died two weeks after.”

She moved her finger to the left, stopping on an older boy with blonde hair and a scar on his other-wise handsome face. “That’s Luke,” said Annabeth, sounding slightly wistful. 

“Were you and he…close?” I asked, seeing her expression. She nodded after a moment. “He was my best friend. We met when I first came here.” 

“Where is he now?” Annabeth sighed. “He was fine, all the doctors said he was going to be alright. And then, he just…died. Just like that. They never found out why.”

I rubbed her shoulder, my eyes still on the blonde boy. Next to him, her arm slung over his shoulder, was a young girl with blonde curly hair and a red sweater. ‘Is that you?” I queried, looking from the photo to Annabeth. She nodded.

In the picture, she looked much different, her hair not yet shaved off, and a more innocent look on her face. Everyone here had lost that look.

I scanned the photo, my eyes stopping on a younger Nico sitting on the floor, next to a girl who looked a lot like him. They were both wearing Santa hats and grinning at the camera.

“Is that…” “Bianca?” finished Annabeth. “Yes. They were really close.”

Nico came home two days later, just in time for the next disaster. The day after he arrived, I woke up at about three am and went downstairs for a drink of water.

As I was about to go back up, I heard the toilet flushing from the nearby bathroom. Curious, I went to see who else was up.

I knocked on the door, and a weak voice asked; “Who is it?” “Reyna? It’s me. Piper.” Reyna was silent for a moment, then said; “Come in.”  
She was sitting by the toilet, lid up, a tired look in her eyes. As I came in, she heaved and leant over the toilet again, her long dark hair falling over her face.

I patted her back and held her hair as she huddled over the toilet, but with growing horror I realized that here was blood.

“Reyna…” I said softly. She raised her head a little. “I know, I know. It’s fine,” she replied. I stood up. “Don’t move. I’m getting Chiron.”

He was in his office when I knocked, and he looked surprised to see me. “Piper? It’s three in the morning. What are you doing out of bed?” he asked with a frown.

I gestured down the hall, to the bathroom. “Reyna. There’s blood.” He understood at once, and sent me to stay with her while he phoned the ambulance for the second time that week.

The next day, we all went to visit her in hospital. Frank brought flowers, the rest of us brought laughter. 

“Why did the blonde stare at the orange juice for two hours?” asked Leo. Reyna looked confused. “I don’t know. Why?” 

He grinned. “Because it said concentrate!” We all groaned, except Annabeth and Nico. Annabeth laughed, while Nico looked puzzled. 

“I don’t get it. Why?” he asked.

Reyna’s doctor, a young woman called Dr Nightshade, shooed us all out after ten minutes. “She needs her rest,” said the doctor.

The same afternoon, a few hours after we had visited her, Chiron got a call. He answered it, spoke in hushed tones for a few minutes, then put the phone down and turned to see everyone staring at him.

Jason was the first to speak. “Is she...?” Chiron slowly shook his head.

The funeral was held in a church, with an organ player and a priest who spoke in solemn tones of ‘Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano.’ 

Everyone wore black, even me. I borrowed a stiff black dress from Hazel, and wore my old choir shoes. It was an open coffin service, which meant that the coffin lid was up and everyone could see Reyna one last time.

It seemed too creepy to me, but I reluctantly joined that line of people saying goodbye to someone who was already gone.

She lay in the coffin, her eyes closed, her hands folded on her chest. It freaked me out, the measures that someone had gone to make her look alive again. She even had mascara on.

Afterwards, as we watched the coffin being loaded into the hearse and driven away (she was being buried in her family’s cemetery), I clung to Jason.

“She’s really gone,” I whispered. He looked down in surprise. “Is this the first time you’ve known someone that died?” he asked.

“Well, my grandad died years ago, but…this feels more real. She was only seventeen.” He patted my shoulder, and I laced my fingers in his.

“How many have you known?” I asked after a moment. “Bianca, Rachel, Travis, Katie and Lou Ellen,” he replied. “Were they all Camp Jupiterites?” He nodded, but I didn’t ask further.

“We’re getting a new kid!” said Nico ecstatically. “What?” I asked groggily, watching him bounce around my room. “There’sgonnabeanewkidthere’sgonnabeanewkid !” he repeated. Suddenly I was wide awake.

“A new kid?” I asked. Annabeth looked up from her book. “You seem very excited. Are we all that boring?” she teased.

We were going to pick her up from the hospital, so after my appointment with Dr Underwood I went down to the waiting room to see if she was there.

She was. A willowy girl was sitting in one of the plastic chairs, her light-colored hair coiled into a braid. She looked up when I walked in, and smiled.  
“Hi. You must be the new kid, right? I’m Piper.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Hi! I’m Calypso,” she replied. I gestured to her bags. “Need some help?”

In the van on the way home, we learned that she had a heart disease called cardiomyopathy. “Yo! Heart disease! Ditto!” cried Leo, high-fiving her.

She got Reyna’s old room, and quickly became a fixture of our daily lives. She was perfect for Hazel, as they both liked cooking and were quite girly, and I struck up a friendship with her as well. She seemed to quite like Percy (a bit too much in my opinion. I decided to keep any eye on her) and was relatively easy-going with all the other boys.

One day, when Annabeth was having a MRI at the hospital, I came looking for Calypso. She had borrowed my good shoes the other day, and I wanted them back.

I didn’t bother knocking as I assumed she would be out, so I pushed open the door and almost had a heart-attack. There, sitting on the bed with Cal, was Percy. They were kissing.

“Calypso!” My voice rang out, and they broke apart, Percy jumping when he saw me standing in the doorway. I jerked my head at him. “Out. I need to talk to Cal.”

He hurried out, and I raised an eyebrow at Calypso, crossing my arms. “Well? What was that all about?” She looked confused. “He came in here looking for something, and I could tell he was worried about something, and I felt sorry for him, and then we were kissing!” said Cal.

“He was worried about Annabeth. His girlfriend,” I said. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my god! I swear I didn’t know!” she said.

I crossed to hug her. “It’s okay. But maybe stay away from him. Annabeth would kill you if she found out.” Calypso nodded guiltily.

“I just…missed having someone to love,” she said. “Just because you can’t have Percy doesn’t mean there isn’t anyone else,” I replied.

She shook her head. “Who’d want me? I thought he would understand. That’s why I liked him.” I sat down next to her. “Leo really likes you,” I said casually.

“Really?” she asked. “Yep.” She looked thoughtful. “He is kinda cute. Not as cute as Percy, or Jason, but still cute.” I shoved her playfully. “Oh no you don’t. Jason is mine,” I said.

She giggled, and I pushed at her. “Go on! Go find Leo!” I urged. She stood, patting her hair. “How do I look?” I shoved her again. “Sexy! Now go!”

That night, I forgot to put on the oxygen mask that I always wore when I was sleeping, to give my lungs a bit of help in the breathing department.

I was so tired after seeing my dad. He had come to see me on his way to a work conference, and we had talked for a while. Afterwards, I had tried to stay awake during the movie, but I kept falling asleep on Jason’s shoulder- not that Indiana Jones was boring. Quite the contrary in fact. I must have been very tired to sleep through it.

Jason had brought me up to my room, but I forgot to tell him about the oxygen, and when he covered me with the blanket I was already falling asleep.

In the morning, I was woken up by Nico bouncing on my bed. I groaned, but he persisted. “Wake up, Pipes!” he said in that adorable little-kid voice that he spoke in. I definitely didn’t want him to hit puberty any time soon. 

When I groaned again, he stopped bouncing and leant over me. “Pipes?” he asked, a slight tone of worry creeping into his words. I wheezed, unable to breath, and he leapt off the bed.

“Annabeth!” he said sharply. I heard scuffles, then a few hushed voices, and suddenly my mask was being slipped over my nose and mouth.

I inhaled, relief flooding through me at the first few breaths. Then I slowly opened my eyes. Annabeth and Nico were bending over me, both looking a little scared. I gave them a small smile and they relaxed a little.

Annabeth told Chiron what had happened, and he got a little angry with me. “Piper, you need to take care of yourself. What if you forget to take your medicine? What then? You know how dangerous it could be!” he said, not quite shouting but speaking in loud, urgent tones.

I hung my head. “I know but…” “But what?” he asked, a little gentler. “I was tired. It won’t happen again.” Jason stuck up for me. “It was my fault too. I should have remembered that she needed her mask when I…”

Chiron raised an eyebrow. “When you what?” “When I, um, put her to bed,” mumbled Jason. Hazel giggled, and Chiron looked amused. “Don’t let it happen again,” he said.

“Which one? The putting-me-to-bed, or the forgetting-my-oxygen-mask?” I asked cheekily. Chiron grinned. “Both.”

Calypso went to the hospital, because her doctor needed to see her, and I volunteered to go with her. On the way, I asked about her and Leo. She looked happy.

“We’ve been together for two days,” she said, and I cheered. “He’s quite annoying actually,” she joked, and I nodded. I didn’t mean it, of course. Leo could be annoying, but he really was my friend.

Her doctor looked serious, as usual. Dr Artemis rarely smiled. “Calypso, frankly, we have two options. You can take a risk and try to continue your life as you have been, or you can take a risk and have surgery.”

Calypso gripped my hand. “What kind of surgery?” she asked. Dr Artemis continued. “We have an organ donor for you, and the surgery would be to try and give you a new heart. It would, however, be a dangerous procedure.”

“Give me the numbers, Doc,” said Calypso. “Around 30% survive the surgery,” said the doctor. Cal looked almost white as she heard these words, but she steeled herself and said bravely; “I want the surgery.”

Dr Artemis looked concerned. “Calypso, are you sure? You might be able to live without it.” Cal shook her head. “I’m tired of living like this. I want the surgery.”

As she changed into the hospital gown, Cal looked so small and fragile. “Are…are you sure? You don’t have to, Callie,” I said as she tied up the back and put her things into her bag.

“If I don’t come out of there, you have to promise me one thing,” she said, grabbing my arm. “Anything,” I said. “Promise me you’ll live. For them. They won’t live if you don’t.” I shook my head. “Cal, I can’t promise that.” She gripped my arm tighter. “Promise me,” she repeated. “I…promise,” I replied. She smiled, and as they wheeled her bed into the operating room she looked back at me one last time. “Don’t forget me!” she called.

If I had known that that was the last time I would ever see Calypso, I would have said more, tried to convince her not to have the operation. 

At the funeral, Leo pulled me aside. His eyes were red, but he smiled even though his girlfriend was being taken away to be cremated that very moment.

“It’s not your fault, Pipes.” I looked away. “No, really. She told me that her doctor had shown her the test results- surgery or no surgery, she only had a little while to live. She just wanted to try. She just wanted some hope.”

I laughed bitterly. “Hope? Hope is cheap,” I said. Leo shook his head. “Hope’s what gives us the chance to live.”

He went into hospital soon after, when Chiron saw that he wasn’t eating and had a heavy fever. Jason was also there, having had a bad spell, but none of us told him about Leo’s decline. We didn’t want to shock his system into overloading.

“Pipes?” asked Leo softly, as I sat reading by his bed. I jumped. “You’re awake! How are you feeling?” I asked. He grinned and saluted. “Better,” he said, but I could see the pain in his eyes.

The others were waiting in the café. I don’t think any of them could stand seeing him this way. But I had said that I would stay with him. I owed it to Calypso.

He asked for a drink of water, so I held the glass to his lips. After a while, he sank back into the pillows. “Sing for me, Pipes?” he asked weakly.

“I’m not good…I don’t know what to sing,” I protested. He said nothing, and after a few seconds I cleared my throat.

Find light in the beautiful sea, I choose to be happy.  
You and I, you and I, we’re like diamonds in the sky.  
You’re a shooting star I see, a vision of beauty,  
When you’re near me, I’m alive, we’re like diamonds in the sky.

He closed his eyes, and I held his hand.

I knew that we’d become one right away, oh right away.  
At first sight I left the energy of sun rays,  
I saw the life inside your eyes.

“Pipes.” His voice was scratchy, and so quiet I could barely hear it. I leaned closer. “Kiss me.” I leaned away. “Leo, I can’t…”

He opened his eyes. “Please.” I leant closer once more and touched my lips to his. He was hot and feverish, and his lips were chapped, but I kissed him.

Then I ran out of the room, and heard the heart monitor flat-line.

We didn’t tell Jason. Annabeth told us not to. “He’ll go into shock,” she said firmly. “Leo was one of his best friends.” He was mine too! I wanted to scream. I stayed silent.

A few days later, when me and Percy were visiting Jason, I had had enough. “How’s everyone? Is Leo pulling any pranks?” asked Jason, sitting up in bed when we came in. Percy gave me a warning look, but I walked over and sat down on the bed.

“Jase…Leo’s gone,” I said. He shook his head, not understanding. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Three days ago, he went into hospital. Jason…he didn’t make it.” My voice cracked on the last few words, and Jason swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“He can’t be! I would know!” he said frantically, trying to get out of bed. The monitors began beeping, and Percy strode across the room to push Jason back in bed. 

“Piper, go get Chiron,” he said, shooting me a look that said clearly: get out. I walked quickly out of the room before collapsing on the floor.

Some nurses gave me funny looks, but no one said anything as I sat outside Jason’s room, hugging my knees and trying not to cry.

Jason came back to Camp the next day, but it wasn’t the same without Leo. He had brought all the fun to the place, and now that he was gone it seemed cold and empty.

I didn’t go to his funeral. Everyone else went, save for me and Hazel. She stayed because she felt sick, and I…I stayed because he was my friend, and I couldn’t bear seeing him lowered into a grave.

“Let’s do something,” I said, when the others had left. Hazel looked up from where she was curled up on the couch, a box of tissues in one hand. “Like what?” she asked cautiously. She was one of the few who still acted normally around me after the Telling Jason About Leo incident.

Percy wasn’t blatantly ignoring me, but he did shoot me a few looks over meals. Frank didn’t seem to know what to do, and Annabeth, although slightly angry, had forgiven me. But only just. Nico said it was the right thing to do, and Jason hadn’t come out of his room yet.

I flopped down next to her. “I don’t know. Paint our nails?” I said. She thought for a moment, then rose slowly and walked over to the bathroom, coming back a moment later with a box full of nail polish.

“Do mine?” she asked when I began sorting through the box. I pulled her hand over to me and selected a pale pink. As I carefully painted her nails, she began talking.

“Was it bad? When Leo…passed?” asked Hazel. I dipped the brush in the polish before speaking. “No. It was quick, I think. He asked me to sing and...” I couldn’t tell her.

“And, what?” pressed Hazel. I swallowed a sob. “He asked me to kiss him, and I did. And then he died.” She pulled me in for a hug, regardless of the still-wet polish. When she pulled away, her eyeliner was smudged.

“You look like a raccoon,” I told her. She giggled and passed me her phone. “So do you!” I looked in the reflection and saw that her eye makeup had rubbed off on to my cheeks.

“No crying with makeup on,” I scolded, and she laughed properly. We took a selfie on her phone, me sticking my tongue out, Hazel in mid-laugh.

That was our last good day.

When Hazel went into hospital, I painted her nails purple and told her she was beautiful. She told Frank she loved him and he cried. That was the first time I saw him cry.

In the morning, I woke up next to her bed and knew that she was gone. She looked peaceful. Her eyes were closed, and she was still holding my hand. I let go.

There was no funeral for her. Her family got her cremated, and they went to the ocean to sprinkle her ashes. We weren’t invited.

Where were you? I wanted to ask her family when they came to collect her things. Where were you when she was dying? When she used to cry in the night because she missed her mom, and her brother? Why weren’t you there?

Nico, Frank and Jason left the Camp about two weeks later. Jason was to go home and live with his dad and his sister. The doctors told Nico that he could go home, go to school, because they had finally found treatment for his illness. 

And they gave Frank new kidneys and a new stomach, so he was free to go to high school, graduate that spring, maybe go to college later on.

When he left, he told me how much Hazel had loved me. “She really did see you as her sister,” he said, after we had hugged awkwardly on the front lawn. “She used to talk about you all the time.”

Me and Jason had a hurried goodbye, followed by a small kiss on the cheek as he left with his dad. I touched the spot that night, wondering if it had been a sorry-I-have-to-go-but-I-will-miss-you-as-friends kiss or a maybe-I-like-you-as-more-than-just-friends kiss.

Now it was just me, Annabeth and Percy. Annabeth was back to her old self and Percy was friendly again, but the Camp felt so lonely. Reyna, Calypso, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Jason and Nico were gone. 

Even when the new kids arrived, a boy and a girl called Cecil and Meg, I still felt so alone. Jason called sometimes, and Nico and Frank had visited once or twice, but even though they were still in contact it felt like I’d never see them again like it used to be.

I had several scary episodes, including the one where I passed out at the top of the stairs. That resulted in a painful butt and me being moved to a downstairs room.

My lungs were getting worse, and they were impossible to replace, as after you die your lungs begin to shut down immediately, so for me (and Percy) there was no hope of a donor.

When I passed out at dinner, Chiron and Dr Underwood made an executive decision that I should stay at the hospital for a while. I moved into Room 209, and spent the day sitting in bed, chatting to the nurses and staring blankly at the TV in the corner of the room.

Annabeth came to visit, and she brought Nico with her as a surprise. When she came to hug me, he lingered in the doorway, fidgeting.

“Come on over,” I beckoned, and he sat down gingerly on the bed. “How’s your new school?” I asked. He made a face, and I laughed. “Glad to see you liking it there.”

Annabeth went to grab a coffee and ask the doctors something, and Nico edged closer. “You’re not going to die, are you?” he asked. My smile vanished. “Oh, Neeks. That’s what you were worried about?”

“That’s what everyone’s worried about,” said a voice from the doorway. I looked up and saw Jason standing there, an adorable smile on his face.

He came to sit down just as Annabeth came back to get Nico. “We’ll come back tomorrow, after school,” she said. “Nico, I’m not going to die,” I said. He looked slightly less worried.

“Do you promise?” he asked. I promised, and as they left I bit my lip, a nervous habit of mine. That chalked up a total of two promises I couldn’t keep. Oh, Cal, I thought, suddenly remembering my last promise.

Jason was watching me, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Do I have food on my chin?” I asked, suddenly aware of the messy lunch I had eaten.

He laughed. “No. Well, actually, you do, but that’s not why I’m looking at you.” “Then why are you looking at me?” I asked, wondering where this was leading. He reached forward and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I’m staring at you because you’re beautiful,” he said.

I laughed, which was obviously not what he was expecting. “Me? Beautiful? I’ve been called a lot of things, but beautiful isn’t one of them.” He started to talk, to protest, but I held a finger to his lips.

“Have you looked at me recently, Jase? Have you really looked at me?” I gestured to the hospital bed, the Band-Aids on my arm from when they had drawn blood. 

“I’m going to die. No matter what I promise, I. Am. Going. To. Die.” He flinched as if the words had physically hurt him, but I wasn’t finished.

“You have a chance now. You’re out in the world, you’re going to high school. You’re probably going to live past sixteen, and fall in love, get married, and have cute little babies. But I’m going to die, and leave you behind, and that’s not fair.”

“Pipes, I’m already in love. With you.” I shook my head. “But why me? You deserve someone who you can love for more than just a few weeks, a girlfriend who isn’t terminal.”

He silenced me by leaning forward and kissing me on the lips. After a moment, I pulled away. Definitely not a friendly kiss. 

“Now do you see?” he asked softly. I smiled. “I see.”

The doctors looked grave, standing over my bed. “Your lungs will soon be unable to function,” said the head honcho, a small, round man called Dr D. “I’m sorry to say that this is the final stage.”

Like that first day, when Dr Underwood had told me about Camp Jupiter, I asked how long I had, and like that first day, Dr Underwood looked sad.

“I’d give it a week at most,” he said. My dad, who had been summoned by Dr D, clutched my hand. “Will it hurt?” he asked, referring to my imminent end. 

Dr D shook his head. “It will probably happen in your sleep,” he said. His pager rang, calling him to Ward 5A, and he hurried off, leaving Dr Underwood to explain more. I tuned out, not wanting or needing to hear any more about my coming death.

Annabeth, Percy, Frank, Nico and Jason crowded around my bed. “What’s up?” asked Percy. I hadn’t told them yet, but sooner was better than later. I took a deep breath (no easy feat) and spoke.

“Doc says I’m in the final stage,” I said. Annabeth gasped and hid her face in Percy’s shoulder. Jason looked grey, but he was able to ask how long. “A week at most,” I answered, quoting Dr D.

Nico burst into tears, and I reached out. “Hey, it’s okay, don’t cry,” I said. He glared at me through tears. “No it’s not! You promised!” he said thickly. 

Frank pulled him into a hug, which surprised me the most. I hadn’t pinned him to be the comforting type, and although Nico at first resisted, he succumbed to the embrace after a moment.

Percy comforted Annabeth, who was crying silently into his shirt, and Jason came to sit by my side. “Are you scared?” he asked quietly. I shook my head.

“To die would be an awfully big adventure,” I replied. He looked surprised. “I didn’t know you’d read Peter Pan,” said Jason, referring to the book that my dad used to read me when I was little.

I grinned. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, blondie.” He looked deep into my eyes. “Like what? Tell me.” 

The others, sensing that we were having a moment, gave us some privacy by stepping out of the room, though I could still hear Nico crying outside.

I laced my fingers through his. “Well, I like peanut butter. Like, a lot. If there was a bomb slathered in peanut butter I would happily eat my way to my death.” 

He chuckled. “And?” “I used to be obsessed with Tarzan. Wanted to rescue him from the jungle and tame his wild heart.” “Wait, really?” he asked. I laughed and shook my head. “That one’s not true.”

I continued, brushing the hair out of his eyes. He really needed a haircut.

“I have five cousins, I used to have a pet turtle called Maisy, I have a secret obsession with Harry Potter, and I’ve always wanted to try jelly beans and tomato sauce,” I said, ticking the facts off on my fingers.

“My middle name is Marie; my eyes are listed as brown on my passport but they’re not- my dad says they’re rainbow.” Jason smiled. “They are. It’s like I’m looking into a kaleidoscope when I look at your eyes. They change color every moment.”

I leaned back into his arm and he shifted closer, putting his head next to mine. “Stay with me?” I asked. As my eyes grew heavy from the drugs coursing into my arm via the tubes, I heard him whisper one last thing

“Always.”

She died three days later, with her dad and the rest of us at her side. The doctors wanted to give her a drug to help her sleep, to make it quicker for her, but her dad said no.

She was barely awake, but when her dad left to talk to the doctors, to ask if there was anything they could do, she opened her eyes a tiny bit. “Hey guys,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Annabeth was holding one hand, and I was holding the other. Frank, Nico, and Percy were standing by the bed. “How do you feel? Do you need anything?” I asked quietly. She laughed, an actual, happy laugh that for one second made me feel like we were out of the hospital room, out of the eyes of our friends, and she was truly happy.

But I could see that she was almost gone. We all could. Her eyes seemed…far away, like she was gazing into distant universes. And she looked so small, huddled up in the mass of tubes and machines. 

“Where’s Leo?” she asked, and I think that’s when we all realized that she wasn’t coming back. I squeezed her hand. “You’ll see him soon.” Her gaze alighted on Nico. “Neeks?”

He came a little closer, afraid to look her in the eyes. “I’m going to see Bianca, Neeks,” she said. He sniffed, and she looked a little worried. “Don’t cry,” she said, her voice sounding quieter.

Then, as we held her hands, she sighed, and her eyes closed. Slowly, her breathing grew less and less, until she took one final breath and-  
The machines began buzzing, the one monitoring her heartbeat showing only flat lines.

I bent over and kissed her one last time. “Bye, Pipes,” I said softly.


End file.
